The present disclosure relates generally to a bicycle, and particularly a lighting device for a bicycle.
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. The consequence of the popularity of bicycle riding is a growing presence of bicycle operators or cyclists on public roads or off road trails. Further, as the recreation has grown, typical bicycle excursions or trips have lengthened in extent. This is especially true where operators have used the bicycle as a means for commuting to and from work. As a result, bicycle trips are made at later hours and for extended distances, to the extent that riders now are frequently encountered on the highways or trails at dusk and into nightfall. Further, twenty-four hour off road races or night rides have also been held. It should be appreciated that it is desirable to provide a good light source to aid the operators use and enjoyment of the bicycle.
Typically, lighting is provided by a lamp positioned on the front of the bicycle. These lights may be clamped via a bracket on to the handle bars or the front fork for example. These lights may be powered by a variety of energy sources, such as a dynamo coupled to the front wheel or a battery. This clamp on lighting arrangement provided sufficient light and was easy to install. However, the use of a clamping arrangement often placed the light in a less than desirable area and was not aesthetically pleasing. Further, since the light was extending out from the frame member to which it was attached, the operator had to take care not to damage the light.
In some cases, the light has been integrated directly into a frame member, such as the front suspension or fork for example. These arrangements improved the aesthetic issues of the clamp on light, but at the expense of being difficult to access for repair or replacement of components that become damaged or worn out due to use.
Accordingly, while existing bicycle lighting devices are suitable for their intended purposes, there still remains a need for improvements particularly regarding a compact lighting system that may be integrated with the bicycle headset which is easy for the operator to use and service.